Bob Gursky, left, and Brian Willis of R.S. Gursky Inc. place one of the refurbished Appalachian Stage sculptures in front of the US Cellular Center Thursday.

Written by

Shanée Simhoni

Residents who've been missing the dancers and musicians who've been celebrating the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival outside the U.S. Cellular Center for more than a dozen years - day and night, rain or shine - can look forward to reuniting with their friends today.

The statues by artist Gary Alsum - a dancing couple, a fiddler and banjo player and a dancing little girl - have been on hiatus during the construction of the center's new ticketing complex and general facelift.

"The reason they were removed was because we had redone the entire plaza," said Ric Ledford, the city's project manager for ...